Lunch box and blank



y 1944- E. B. WHITE-HEAD I 2,352,927

LUNCH BOX AND BLANK Filed Jan. 7, 194a Patented July 4, 1944 LUNCH Box AND BLANK Earl B. Whitehead, Norwich, Gonn., .assignor to Normain Corporation, Norwich, Conn., a corporation of Delaware Application January 7, 1943, Serial No. 471,585

2 Claims.

This invention relates to improvements in box or carton manufacture and is directed more particularly to improvements in foldable blanks for forming into a lunch box or the like.

The principal objects of the invention are directed to the provision of a novel lunch box or blank arranged and adapted for forming into a lunch box. It has been customary to provide metal lunch boxes consisting of a lower receptacle for containing foods and an upper receptacle cover member adapted to hold a container, such as a Thermos bottle or the like, with the cover and receptacle being hinged for relative swinging movements. Due to the scarcity of metal, it has become necessary to revert to other materials than metal.

According to this invention, a blank is provided which is suitably formed and arranged to be foldable into a lunch box having. a lower receptacle and an upper object compartment cover which not only has all the desirable characteristics of the prior art devices but is more econom ical to produce, is lighter in weight and possesses other various desirable characteristics.

The novel features and advantages of the invention will be hereinafter more fully set forth in connection with the present preferred form of the invention with reference to the drawing wherein:

Fig. 1 is a plan view of a blank embodying the novel features of the invention and adapted for folding to provide a lunch box or the like;

Fig. 2 is a plan view of a lunch box formed from the blank with the cover section thereof in open position;

Fig. 3 is a front elevational view of a lunch box formed from the blank of Fig. l with the cover portion thereof in closed position;

'Fig. 4 is a plan view of a foldable hasp forming member for the lunch box; and

Fig. 5 is a plan view of a tongue member for the lunch box.

Referring now to the drawing more in detail, the invention will be fully described.

The blank of the invention indicated generally by -B may be made of any suitable material such as fcardboard, fabric or the like. It is desired that the material be such as to provide the desired strength, and lightness of weight, and that it'be arranged so thatits various parts may be relatively moved on predetermined lines to form the object intended. The blank may be of any color desired and it may be treated to provide waterproof characteristics if desired.

The blank B includes a bottomwall 2, bottom portion 44 provides a tab 52.

front wall 4, bottom rear wall 6 and bottom end wallsfl. Scoring lines l0, I2 and I4 facilitate the Walls 2, 4, 6 and 8 being moved into set-up position so as to provide a lower receptacle indicated by R.

In bringing the walls into set-up position, the

walls 4, 6 and 8 are swung vertically relative to.

the bottom wall 2. Bottom tabs l8 are hinged at'2ll to the end walls 8 and are arranged to underlie the bottom wall .2 when the front, rear and end walls are in set-up position. Tabs 22 of the.

end walls 8 are'hinged on lines 24 so that with the walls in set-up position, as described, the said tabs 22 may interlock with slots 1 of tabs 9 hinged to rear Wall 6. v

The bottom tabs I8 underlie the bottom wall 2 and their free endsenter slits 3 of said bottom wall. The parts described and set up as outlined provide a lower receptacle. It will be understood in connection with the invention that any por-' tionsof the blank that are superposed may be secured in any convenient manner if it should be desired.

Flanges 30 are provided on the end walls 8 and a flange 32 is provided On the front wall 4 they.

and 46 that are relatively bendable on score linesv represented by the dot-dash lines shown. The portion 46 has a cut-out 48 and a slot 50 in the the hasp member are set so that the portions 44 and 46 are in abutment while the tab 52 extends through the opening 48 to overlie the portion 42.

The hasp thus formed has a forward portion which extends through a slot 62 in the front wall 4 of the receptacle. The portions 42 of the hasp member abut the inside of said front wall 4 and a tongue 63 of said wall 4 extends through the opening in the hasp to hold it in place. The hasp memberprovides a part 60 extending forwardly from the front wall that is provided-with. a slot .48 which slot extends vertically just forwardly'of said frontwall 4, as shown in Fig. 2.

The parts described may be called the lower. section of the blank inasmuch as they form a lower receptacle. The parts to be described may. be called the upper or cover section C. This in-..

cludes a cover rear wall- 50, an upper wall 52 and a front wall. 54. The upper cover section is arranged for swinging movements relative to The portions of 2 the lower receptacle on a score line 56. I'he front and rear walls 54 and 50 are arranged for bending on the lines 58 and 60. End walls 62 are arranged for bending relative to rear wall 54 on the lines 64 and tabs 66 are arranged for bending relative to the end walls on the lines 61.

Flaps 80 are arranged for bending on lines 82 and relative to the rear wall member associated with the cover. Tower wall members 84 associated with the end walls 62 are bendable on lines 88. Inner flaps 8| are bendable on lines 83 relative to the rear wall 50 and have slots 85 for receiving the members 80.

A front wall flap 88 associated with the cover section is swingable at 90 relative to said front wall 54 and it is provided with a hasp receiving slot 92. An opening 94 is provided in the cover front wall for a securing tongue, to be described. Openings 96 are provided in the cover upper wall 52 for a handle which will be described.

' One of the bottom wall members 84 of the cover is provided with an opening 95. A connector 96 has an enlarged head-end 98 which when distorted may be inserted through the opening 95 so that the connector is movably associated with said member 84. In other words the connector may swing relatively to the bottom wall member 84-. The other bottom wall member is provided with a notched end 98 which is engageable with a notched portion I on the free end of connector 96 all as shown in Fig. 2.

A handle which may be of any suitable flexible material such as leather, fabric or the like is indicated at I92 and it has enlarged ends, not shown, which may be distorted for insertion through the openings 95 in the top wall 52.

A keeper I96 which may also be of any flexible material such as leather, fabric, or the like has an enlarged end I98 as shown in Fig. 5. The head end of the tongue I96 is passed through the opening 94 of the front wall 54 of the cover. The members forming the cover may be set up in the following manner: the end walls 62 of the upper wall 52 are swung relative to the front wall 50 with the tabs 66 lying inside of the upper wall 52. The parts 8| are swung to lie inside end walls and the parts 80 are inserted in slots 85. Thus an upper compartment is formed. The members 84 are swung inwardly so that the connector 96 which is swingable on one of the members 84 may have its free end detachably connected to the inner end of the other bottom wall member 84.

The members 84 and the connector in conjunction with the walls described provide a compartment in the cover for an object, such as a Thermos bottle or the like, and the said members 84 and 96 hold said object within the compartment, although the connector may be readily swung for disconnection with the member 84 to facilitate the object being placed in. or removed from this compartment.

The cover C including the compartment is swingable relative to the lower receptacle R on the line 58 between an open position, as. shown in Fig. 2, to the closed position shown in Fig. 3. When the cover is in closed position shown in Fig. 3, the hasp 40 is passed through the slot 92 of the front flap 88 so that the slot 48 in the hasp is disposed outside of said flap 88 and then the keeper I is passed through said slot whereby the cover is releasably locked in closed position.

Any means desired may be employed to close the compartment of the cover C or to re-leasably hold an object such as a .thermos bottle or the like therein, it being intended that the cover be provided with a compartment including means to retain an object or objects whereby the cover with the object may be swung relative to the receptacle between open and closed position and when in open position the object may be inserted in or removed from the compartment of the cover.

The invention may be embodied in other specific forms without departing from the essential characteristics thereof. Hence, the present embodiments are therefore to be considered in all respects merely as being illustrative and not as being restrictive, the scope of the invention being indicated by the appended claims rather than by the foregoing description, and all modifications and variations as fall within the meaning and purview and range of equivalency of the appended claims are therefore intended to be embraced therein.

What it is desired to claim and secure by Letters Patent of the United States is:

1. A blank for forming into a lunch box comprising in combination, a single sheet of material having longitudinally spaced transverse hinge lines providing a plurality of walls for a lower receptacle and a plurality of walls for an upper cover compartment, th walls for the receptacle including receptacle front, bottom and rear walls and the walls for the cover compartment including cover rear, top and front walls with the receptacle and cover rear walls hinged together, the receptacle front wall having receptacle end walls hinged to opposite ends thereof and tabs hinged to one side of each of said end walls, the receptacle front, rear and end walls foldable to set-up position relative to the receptacle bottom wall to form. therewith a receptacle and said rear wall and end walls having engageable connections whereby said Walls, may be held in set-up receptacle forming position, the bottom wall provided with slits and the said tabs being foldable onto said receptacle bottom wall and having end.

portions receivable in said slits, the cover rear and front walls having end walls hinged to opposite ends thereof, said cover rear and front walls foldable into set-up position relative to the top wall, said end walls hinged to said rear and front walls foldable into overlapping relation and having engageable connections whereby to hold said rear, front and end walls in set-up position relative to said top wall to form therewith a compartment, fiap members hinged to a side of the end walls which are hinged to the front wall, said last mentioned flap members being foldable inwardly towards one another, a connector movably connected to one of said flaps and having a free end, and the other flap member and the free end of the connector having engageable means whereby said flap members may be connected together and said flap members and connector extend over said compartment.

2. A blank for forming into a lunch box comprising in combination, a single sheet of material having longitudinally spaced transverse hinge linesproviding a plurality of walls fora lower receptacle and a plurality of walls for an upper cover compartment, the walls for the receptacle including receptacle front, bottom and rear walls;

and the walls for the cover compartment including cover rear, top and front walls with the receptacle and cover rear walls hinged. together, the receptacle front wall having receptacle end.

walls hinged to opposite ends thereof and tabs hinged to one side of each of said endjwalls, the

foldable into set-up position relative to the top wall, said end walls hinged to said rear and front Walls foldable into overlapping relation and having engageable connections whereby to hold said rear, front and end Walls in set-up position relative to said top wall to form therewith a compartment, flap members hinged to a side of the end walls which are hinged to the front wall, said last mentioned flap members being foldable inwardly towards one another, a connector movably connected to one of said flaps and having a free end, and the other flap member and the free end of the connector having engageable means whereby said flap members may be connected together and said flap members and connector extend over said compartment, and front wall flap member on the outer edge of the cover front wall for overlying the receptacle front wall when the cover is in position over the receptacle and having a slot therein, a hasp member extending from the receptacle front wall receivable in the said slot and having an aperture therethrough, and a flexible tongue member having one end attached to the cover front wall and provided with a free end which is insertable in the aperture of the hasp and adapted to hold the front wall flap against the receptacle front wall.

EARL B. WHITEHEAD. 

